Hardline right-winger Dervis Eroglu has won a presidential election held on Sunday in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, declaring that talks on the reunification of the island with the Greek Cypriots will be continued, Greek state television has said.
After 94% of the ballots have been counted, Eroglu, the prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has gained 50,4% of the vote, securing victory over the eight other candidates, including his main rival, incumbent president Mehmet Ali Talat, who has 42,84%.
The elections took place amid fears that Eroglu's victory could bring to a standstill reunification talks, which Talat and Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christophias have been holding since 2008.
Talat puts forward a proposal of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with a single government, in which the two parts of Cyprus would be vested with equal status. Eroglu, in his turn, has offered a "honorable solution" based on a confederation of two sovereign states. He, however, rules out that any Greek Cypriot will be allowed to return to land now held by Turks.
Addressing his supporters outside his party headquarters on Sunday, Eroglu said the negotiations would continue in cooperation with Turkey.
"The two peoples [Turkish and Greek Cypriots] should live in peace side by side", he was quoted as saying on the ERT channel's website.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup on the island, backed by Athens. Turkey is the only state that has recognized the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state. Reunification with its richer neighbor is seen as a solution to economic problems of northern Cyprus, which has an annual budget deficit of nearly $1 billion, covered by Turkey.
The reunification issue is also crucial for Turkey. The country started EU entry talks almost five years ago, but Cyprus has repeatedly used its EU membership to hamper Turkey's accession efforts.
MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti)
